


The 300th

by Jerry_Larchive



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-08 19:50:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12260958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerry_Larchive/pseuds/Jerry_Larchive
Summary: s14X07 "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" is the landmark 300th episode of Greys AnatomyThis is the set for a different kind of Japril story that imagines what would happen if the actors's themselves might actually have ships of their own.This semi-fluffy OS requires a lot of latitude in how a real TV show is filmed.





	The 300th

It was an incredible milestone, particularly in the modern era of _one and done_ television series. But Grey's Anatomy was an anomaly. Entering it's fourteenth season, it had become the poster child for the Netflix phenomenon; a whole new generation of fans had embraced it, not because they'd followed it since birth, but because it had been available to binge on while still on the air.

But three hundred episodes was just a crazy achievement, regardless of the circumstance. And to recognize it, Grey's had some special things planned. For one thing, some of it had been shot in Seattle, the city where the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital was purportedly located. Only exterior shots and a very few scenes had ever before been shot there, or anywhere outside the Los Angeles area studio.

Another first, some of the studio shots would be filmed in front of a live audience. The idea was to create a feeling of immediacy and interject a little of that live action energy and anxiety that performing in front of an actual audience provides. For this experienced cast, this was universally embraced. Even actors dislike falling into a rut. Besides, most of them had spent considerable time on stages and in theaters across the country and the world so performing in front of a live audience was as natural as breathing.

So this was the day. The episode, titled "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story", would film the final two scenes in front of an audience. The first, would feature four of the main cast, Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery, Sarah Drew as April Kepner, Kelly McCreary as Maggie Pierce, and Jason George as Ben Warren, standing in the ER and discussing the dramatic events of Jackson and Ben's trip to Seattle with Owen and Alex. The second scene would be set in a different part of the hospital and feature Jackson capping his whirlwind courtship of Maggie with a proposal of marriage that would provide the cliffhanger ending to the episode.

For the four actors in the first scene, the personal stakes were high. Jason George was being phased out of Grey's to join a spinoff series about firefighters. While he would be back for brief cameos this was essentially his last scene as member of the main cast. For the other three, these two scenes would serve as the end of their characters love triangle. Fan favorite  _Japril,_ featuring Jackson and April, would finally give way to  _Jaggie_ , with Maggie taking April's place in Jackson's life.

The previous six episodes of the season had laid the groundwork for this as the writers had Jackson becoming incrementally closer to Maggie and farther from the forlorn April with each passing week. This despite the loyal following Jessie and Sarah had built up over years of a roller coaster onscreen relationship. Their incredible chemistry and hard work had made the Japril  _ship_ one of the most loyal and protective in entertainment.

For Jesse and Sarah, who had worked so closely and so well together, it was a sad end to a special acting partnership that each had invested so much of themselves into. For Kelly, who hadn't been especially keen to be thrust into the middle of such a controversial turn, it meant a difficult time ahead trying to convert thousands of loyal Japril shippers who she knew, frankly, would never accept her as Jackson's partner.

Loyal soldiers, they had little choice in the matter and resigned themselves to having new and different acting partners to work with in the future. 

The walkthrough completed, Debbie Allen, the actress who often played Jackson's mother, but was behind the camera as the director of this episode, indicated that her preparations were done and the audience could be brought in and seated. 

Ms Allen was probably the person most nervous about filming in front of a live audience. Unlike a comedy, which would naturally encourage laughter at the appropriate places, she would need the audience to be silent participants. If they didn't behave, it could involve a long day of shooting multiple takes.

Jason wandered over to where she stood watching as the first of the sixty or so audience members, chosen by lottery, began to file in and take their seats.

“All ready?” he asked.

“Of course. Are you?” Ms Allen asked him.

“Absolutely.”

“Nervous?” she asked, looking at him carefully.

He grinned back at her. “Nah, piece of cake. You?”

“Ask me once we have this scene in the can.” she answered. He laughed.

“So how do you feel about leaving Greys Anatomy?”

“Ready. New challenges and all that. Gonna miss you all though.” he answered.

“And you will be missed as well.” she replied. Then she cast a critical look toward one of her cameras. “Excuse me, I think that needs to move a little bit.” She walked off and Jason turned and made his way back to where the other actors sat in their chairs.

As usual, Sarah and Jesse were huddled together going over their scripts one last time. Jason knew this scene would be particularly difficult for Sarah as it would end with her character portraying the devastation she would feel with realizing that the love of her life was moving forever beyond the reach of her love.

Jason didn't want to interrupt their process so instead he came and sat next to Kelly, who was busy with her phone.

“Hey.” he said to her when she looked up.

“Hey.” she smiled back warmly. “I can't believe we're losing you. But it's great for you.”

“Yeah, its one of those bittersweet things, I think.” he answered.

Kelly looked toward Jesse and Sarah. “Yeah, I know just what you mean. I wish I was going with you.”

“Not too excited about becoming the back half of Jaggie?” he asked, following her gaze.

“The hind end is right. They didn't bring in someone to replace Derek right away. I don't know why they want to do this. It sucks.”

“Didn't I read something where you said it had all sorts of dramatic possibilities?”

“Of course I said that. What am I going to say? My bosses don't know what they are doing?”

“Good point.” he answered. “They probably wouldn't appreciate the constructive criticism.”

“Dya think?” Kelly replied. “Nobody asks us what we want to do. All they want is for us to ask how high whenever they say jump.”

They were silent for a moment as Jason pondered her words. She was right, he thought, and it did suck. The actors had no control or input as to what their characters did and didn't do. As if they didn't know the characters they breathed life into every week.

He looked over at Sarah and Jesse again. They were apparently ready to go. Jesse was now on his phone and Sarah happened to glance in Jason's direction. She smiled. Sarah Drew always smiled. But even as good an actress as Sarah couldn't keep the tinge of the sadness she was feeling from creeping into this smile.

Jason smiled back. They were both UVA alums, and the Cavalier bond runs deep. They watched out for each other and would miss working together once Jason left the Greys set. It hurt him to see her sad like this. But like Kelly said, there was nothing he could do to help either one of them.

Finally, it was almost time. The audience had been seated and given the stern instructions about being absolutely silent between the traditional “Action” and “Cut”.

Debbie Allen was introduced and she immediately took command of the set, as befitted her role as Director. Showrunner and episode writer Krista Vernoff was introduced as well, then, one by one, the actors were brought out to hearty applause.

First Kelly came out. She said a few words to welcome everyone. Next she introduced Sarah who stepped out onto the set and the applause became thunderous. It took awhile for it to die down enough for her to be heard and she stood embarrassed, waving and bowing, waiting for it to subside.

Meanwhile Jesse and Jason waited in the wings, smiling. 

“They love her, don't they?” Jason said, arms folded across his chest.

“Yeah, they do.” agreed Jesse. “They are going to hate me a few hours from now.”

“No.” protested Jason.

“Oh yeah they will. Well, let's face it, this whole thing makes no sense. All of a sudden Jackson just falls out of love with April? Come fucking on!”

Just then, Sarah introduced Jesse as the “ _best acting partner a girl could ever have”_ and he entered smiling as the applause revved up again.

Jason watched alone now. Jesse is probably right, he admitted. This development would not be well received. He sensed movement behind him and saw one of the crew place a small prop on the table there. He immediately recognized it as the box holding the engagement ring that Jackson would present to Maggie in the last scene.

When questioned about it later, he could never say what prompted him to do what he did next. He would just smile his big Jason George smile, shrug his broad shoulders, and say  _Impulse, I guess_ . 

He quickly reached out and grabbed the box, stuffing it in his pocket just as he heard Jesse say “ _Jackson's second best friend, a guy we will all miss as we wish him well in his new show, Jason George, ladies and gentlemen._ ”

 

Director Allen was not happy with the first take. Part of the problem was the realization of her worst fear. At a critical juncture, when April asks Jackson if he'll accompany her to daycare to pick up Harriet, his character makes significant eye contact with Maggie and delivers the line “No, Maggie and I have some important things to talk about.” At which point April's character figures out what is going to happen and realizes that Jackson has made his choice once and for all. The audience had behaved itself all through the preceding dialogue but at this point there was an audible gasp that could be clearly heard across the set. The actors paused and Allen called “Cut. Stay in place please.” She shot a nasty look toward the audience and then asked the sound engineer if that sound could be edited out. His reply was that is wouldn't be possible. So the audience was scolded and Allen tried to decide if she wanted to redo the entire scene or just shoot another of that sequence.

It was the other problem that prompted her to retake the entire scene. The actors, particularly Jesse and Kelly, seemed just a little  _off_ . Almost as if they were reluctant to even shoot this. As they were the key actors for both of the scenes still to be shot, this was a bit of a problem.

While the crew reset the scene, Ms Allen huddled with the actors. “The point of bringing in the live audience was to inject energy and excitement into this scene, not to induce sleepwalking in the four of you. What is wrong?”

Getting no response, she became a bit peeved.

“People, this will be a long night if we don't get our A-game together. Now come on!”

It was Jason that spoke up.

“So we, Jackson and I, just came back from a weekend in Seattle and all kinds of trouble. It seems natural that we'd be tired.”

“So you're playing comatose on purpose?” she challenged.

“Well...” there was only so much Jason could do to cover for his colleagues.

Jesse spoke up. “Come on, Debbie, you know this crap is hard for us.”

The other four looked at him in surprise. Jesse was known for being outspoken but he had always been a respectful team player on the set. But, in this case, he wasn't wrong.

Director Allen looked around at her four actors. “Look, I know some of you are not happy with this script and this storyline, but this is what we have, so let's be professional and get it done. Okay?”

The four nodded and she returned to her place behind the camera line.

They tried again but halfway through, the Director called “Cut.” It had gotten worse. These four were some of the best actors in the business but they were really struggling. She didn't know what to do to break them out of their funk.

The actors themselves were beginning to feel it too.

“Come on, you guys, we got this.” encouraged Sarah, sounding a lot like her character, April Kepner.

“Yes, let's just get through this.” agreed Kelly.

Jesse nodded but Jason remained silent.

Again the crew completed the reset and the cast waited for Action to be called. It was then that Jason George again acted on an impulse that he couldn't understand or control. He pulled the jewelry box from his pocket and dropped it quickly into the pocket of Jesse's Grey Sloan coat. Jesse looked down at it in surprise. “What the...”

“Just follow my lead when the time comes.” whispered Jason loud enough for all four actors to hear but quiet enough for no one else to.

Their stares toward their colleague were cut short by Allen again calling “Action.”

This time the actors were noticeably more animated in delivering their lines. While Allen may have been attributing it to the brief peptalk she had given them earlier, it was more likely related to the anticipation that something was going to happen. Something unusual. Whatever did their friend Jason have in mind? They didn't have to wait long to find out.

Just a few lines into the scene, Doctor Ben Warren describes how he narrowly missed being killed and was saved by Jackson. But after delivering his lines, Jason, as Ben, suddenly went off script in a direction no one, least of all himself, could have anticipated.

The next line belonged to Jesse, as Jackson, but before he could deliver it, Ben spoke again.

“You know, it reminded me of that bus crash thing here a few years ago. I wasn't there but I heard about it later. What happened again?”

The other three actors stopped and gaped at Jason. What the hell was he doing?

Debbie Allen was asking herself the same thing, paging quickly through the script though she knew that wasn't in it. Krista, seated nearby, registered surprise as well.

“Jackson, what happened again?” Ben prompted again.

“Uh, that was the night of the big storm. A bus flipped over and caught fire. We got everyone out but one little kid was missing. I found her and got her out just before the bus exploded.” Jackson tentatively recounted, eying Ben the entire time.

“You were there, weren't you April?” Ben turned to Sarah.

“Yes, yes I was.” she answered.

“That must have freaked you out. Did you think you'd lost him?” Ben asked, fully knowing the answer.

“Yes, I thought I'd lost him.”

“But she was engaged to a paramedic at the time.” Jackson volunteered. He thought he might have an idea what Jason was up to.

April turned toward him. “But when I thought I'd lost you, I realized I wanted you. I realized I loved you. And I told you, remember?”

“I remember. But I was still mad at you after the whole pregnancy thing.”

“I remember that,” interjected Maggie. “Well, I wasn't here yet but I remember you telling me about it, Jackson, how you loved her and when you thought she might be pregnant you wanted to marry her.”

“You told her that?” asked April.

“He told me that. April, he's told me a lot about the two of you. He told me about how he stood up at that wedding and said he loved you, everything about you, even what he didn't like, he loved.” confirmed Maggie, who had also caught on.

Behind the camera, the operator turned to the Director. “Do you want to cut this off?”

Allen considered a moment. She looked back at the audience. They were locked in, paying rapt attention. What the hell, why not? “No, keep rolling.” She intentionally avoided looking in Krista's direction.

“Yes, that was a crazy moment.” replied April.

“When I asked if you loved me too...” Jackson smiled.

“We ran out of that barn and all the way to Tahoe.” April laughed.

“But then with Samuel..”

“And Jordan...”

“The divorce...” 

“Harriet. I'll never forget that, wherever I go from here.” Ben interjected, anxious to pull them back toward the goal line.

“Montana.” breathed Jackson. “Montana should have been the turning point.”

“But...” began April.

“Maybe it was.” said Maggie quickly They looked at her. “Maybe that's why you haven't been able to commit to me, Jackson. I think you still love her.”

“I don't think you've ever stopped loving her.” added Ben.

Jackson looked at him. Ben glanced down toward Jackson's coat pocket. Jesse nodded.

“Maggie.” he said.

“You don't have to say anything, Jackson. I'll always love you. Like a brother.”

Ben stuck out his hand and Jackson shook it. 

“Thank you.” Jesse said.

“Don't mention it.” Jason answered. “Maggie, can I walk you out?”

“Absolutely!” She hugged Jackson. Smiling quickly at April, she walked off the set with Ben.

April looked at Jackson. “Now what?” she asked with a smile.

“I won't be able to answer that until you answer a question for me.”

As Jackson lowered himself to one knee, April's eyes grew wide and her hands flew to her mouth.

“April, will you marry me?” he asked, pulling the ring from his pocket and presenting it to her.

 

“Cut” yelled Debbie Allen. “That's a wrap.”

The audience erupted. Sarah and Jesse embraced, laughing, wondering how on earth Jason had pulled off this gentle little rebellion. The man himself, accompanied by Kelly, came running back out and they all exchanged hugs. The audience demanded and received bows from all four actors and it was several minutes before anyone was interested in leaving the set.

Krista approached the Director, who braced for hostilities. “You realize that we now have to rewrite a half dozen scripts?”

“If you need any ideas about what kind of drama a marriage produces, just let me know. And I'll expect a whole lot of juicy mother-in-law moments.” she smiled.

“Uh-huh.” Krista replied, before walking off.

Jason approached and stood beside Debbie watching the show runner's departure.

“So, how'd she take it?”

“Just be glad you're leaving for another show. Otherwise I think Dr Ben Warren would have soon found himself suffering a horrific fate.”

“Thanks for letting us take a few liberties.”

“Hmmph. Liberties.”

Jason laughed and began to walk away.

“They belong together anyway.” he heard her say.

He turned and looked at her in wonder. “Wait,  _you_ ship Japril.”

She threw him a sidelong glance. “Who else?” as though it were the most obvious thing in the world

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have always thought Jason George's Ben Warren was one of the best (but often wasted) characters on GA.  
> While his move to the spinoff is great for his career, I'll miss him on GA.  
> Hopefully he'll make enough cameo visits to keep us happy.


End file.
